The Long Wait
by Dreamwalker95
Summary: It was hard not to think of him; watching Kieran interact with the Inquisitor. Her son had taken a liking to the foolhardy elf with minimal prompting; unsurprising really, she'd done much the same… He was so very like the Warden...


_**Hey there, had a lot of left over emotions from Dragon Age, so I wrote a thing xD hope you like it.**_

_**Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any of the characters, lore or story of the Dragon Age franchise. I just love Morrigan and want her to be happy, goddamn it.**_

* * *

It was hard not to think of him; watching Kieran interact with the Inquisitor. Her son had taken a liking to the foolhardy elf with minimal prompting; unsurprising really, she'd done much the same… He was so very like the Warden...

**Sirius.**

Of course, he'd pout and make those ridiculous puppy dog eyes of his if he ever heard her call him 'Warden' again. She smiled faintly at that; he was such a child. Even with the weight his shoulders carried, he had always somehow remained the same fool boy she'd helped to heal in the wilds.

She begrudgingly admired that.

Slowly, her eyes lowered back to the parchment in her hand. It was still sealed, though she had little doubt that Leliana would have opened it and resealed it long before she had even heard of it.

Sighing her annoyance at her own hesitation, she broke the wax, opening it swiftly and repressing a foolish smile at the familiar hand.

_Morrigan,_

_Just like you to only write when you need something, I should have known better than to expect anything less. Now, before you start getting defensive and huffing about the futility of romantic gestures, please know that was a joke._

She paused to roll her eyes, shaking her head at the idiot's humour.

_I hope you and Kieran are doing well in Skyhold, I know you would not have taken him there if you did not think it safe, as always, I will trust your judgement in this. I suppose, with the latest impending doom on the horizon, the safest place would be by the side of the one who plans to stop it. You always were one to bet on the winning team… You joined me after all._

The wink was implied, and it annoyed her immensely that she could tell.

_I wish I could join you both but I cannot. I feel I may be close to the solution I seek, but I am more and more aware of how little time I have left. The nightmares are worse each day; I do not tell you this to worry you, but, should I fail, I would not rest easy thinking you might still await my return. _

_Nothing is certain._

_I will, of course, continue my efforts for as long as I can, and longer, Andraste knows you would not allow me to sit idly._

She fought hard to repress a smile, she would, indeed, have beaten him around the head with his own staff before she let him rest.

_You will likely scold me for my sentimentality, but, realistically, this may very well be the last letter I send to you. _

_Know that I love you, Morrigan. _

_The day we met I thought you were naught but a grumpy witch, but even then I thought you more beautiful than any I could imagine. It always was oddly fitting that we grew so close in the midst of so much pain and bloodshed, given our shared… **affinity **toward violence._

She _had_ to grin at that, it had been a very interesting thing to find the man shared her love of a good fight. They never had such good nights as they did after a fierce battle. She was dimly aware that Leliana had read that, but the idea only made her chuckle, let the bard blush.

_But over that time, I learned of your wit, your cunning, your care. You are more perfect than I could ever have hoped to find, and if I should fail to return to your side, know that I will die content to have spent what little time I had with you. _

Her grin had vanished. The fool. The damnable, **sentimental,** imbecile.

She straightened automatically, leaning her back against the pillar behind her as her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She had struggled greatly to accept the true depths of their relationship; she had attempted to leave him behind once she was pregnant with Kieran; why should she keep him once his usefulness had expired? She would have been happy to leave, to ignore that odd, hollow feeling in her chest that came with the idea of abandoning him; but that damn fool had trailed after her like a lost puppy, going to far as to chase her through the wilds themselves and offer to leave his life behind to be with her.

Idiot.

Still, something had tugged at her to accept, and she had allowed him to follow her, to be there as she gave birth, to see his son, to aid in his care. After three years of his constant presence… She came to accept that, in some small way, she loved him. She had expected him to be insufferable when she told him, so she had put it off for so long, but when she finally muttered those three words that apparently carried so much weight; he'd simply smiled, kissed her cheek, and whispered them back in her ear. He had then gone to check on Kieran, leaving her to try and understand the warmth that had spread through her chest.

It was not wholly unpleasant.

_I suppose I should end this note now, before it becomes too long, but tell Kieran I hold him to his promise, he will know of what I speak. _

He would, and so did she, as she had overheard them. The night Sirius had left, he had made Kieran swear to him that he would take care of her. A foolish promise, given that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but she got a feeling that he was not worried about her not being able to fight for herself. He was simply trying to instil a sense of familial duty into the boy. Given the way Flemeth had raised her, she was not at all practiced in the ways of 'family', and though Sirius had, largely, been contained to the circle for a lot of his life, he had spent several years in the close community of the elven alienage; he was good at 'family' things.

_Despite all of the above, I have every intention of returning, love. It is merely a precaution. I have every faith that I will find the solution and you will aid the Inquisitor in defeating Corypheus. Best of luck to you, Morrigan, trust your instincts, and take care of yourself. I do not wish to return as a demon of vengeance, but I will if I must, to make a false god beg for mercy. _

The wink was implied once more, she repressed another eye-roll.

_Yours, forever._

_Sirius_

_Ah, and Leliana, it is good to know you too are safe. Maybe one day we shall have a drink._

A genuine chuckle broke forth from her at that afterthought, of course he had known their red-headed friend would read it. Her amusement gave way quickly to sadness as she recalled the rest of the letter, and she shrugged away from the pillar, aiming for the stairs. Kieran cast her a questioning look, but she waved him down, proceeding alone to the battlements, where she could see for miles. Idly, she wondered if there was anywhere high enough, in the world, where she would be able to see Sirius.

"It is pretty up here, no?" Morrigan didn't flinch at the unexpected arrival of the bard, but it was a hard pressed victory; the woman was lighter on her feet than a fox.  
"It is pleasant enough." She shrugged, not looking at the red head as she rested her arms on the low wall, leaning forward. The other woman mirrored her.  
"I was never very sure of your relationship with him, you know. I thought you had placed him under a spell, or he was charmed by your looks." Leliana spoke to the air and Morrigan felt herself frown.  
"But now... I do not know. But I believe you do love him, as he loves you." Eyes were on her now, Morrigan sighed.  
"Indeed." She grit her teeth against the admittance, she would turn the woman into a slug if she ever uttered a word of it to any but her.

"Do you think he will return?" After a moment of silence, the spymaster spoke again. At her words, Morrigan straightened, resting her weight on her palms rather than her elbows.  
"I know he will do all in his power. If there is a way, he will." She believed it.

* * *

"To the left, Kieran." She spoke quietly, not wanting to risk a raised voice this deep into the wilds. It was getting late, the sun would set soon and they would be in total darkness. However, she knew they were getting very close to the cottage; they could easily make it there before nightfall.

She was tired though, weeks of non-stop travelling wore on a person, and though she could still obliterate a dragon if she must, she would rather not have to, at least not before a good night's sleep in her own bed.

She did have one other reason for wishing to be home soon… Of course, she was, _interested_ to see if Sirius had yet returned. True to his word, the letter was the last she heard from him, and even she could admit to some concern regarding his potential demise.

They would know soon enough.

Together, they rounded a large clump of shrubbery, and there, nestled amongst the trees and natural ponds, sat the cottage. The windows were still boarded up, to keep them from being broken while they were away, so it was impossible to see if a fire was lit inside.

Bidding Kieran to wait, she entered first, wary of trespassers.

The fire was lit, and above it sat a pleasantly bubbling soup, filling the room with the comforting scent of food along with a gentle warmth and welcoming orange glow.

"Morrigan." A familiar voice came from the doorway to the study and her eyes found him.

He was smiling, of course he was smiling, though it held more than an edge of tiredness, and he stood awkwardly, favouring one side. Wounded then, but alive, and not affected by the darkspawn taint, as far as she could sense.

She turned her head slightly toward the door.  
"Kieran." She didn't need to call loudly, he would hear. He came running in, his eyes quickly finding Sirius and a smile forming on his face.  
"Father!" He beamed and hurried forward; the wounded man chuckled and swept down to hug the boy, though not lifting him as he normally would. Quite wounded indeed.

She let them have a moment, turning to shut the door and lock it for the night, not that anyone would dare come in, or even if they did, two powerful mages were hardly defenceless.

She took her pack upstairs and upon her return she caught Sirius' eye. He nodded to Kieran.  
"Go unpack your things and wash up, dinner is nearly ready." He gestured for their son to go, and he did, only once their son's door closed upstairs did the man turn to her.  
"Welcome home." He smirked as he stepped over and she rolled her eyes, allowing him to pull her into his arms. Try as she might, she could not deny she enjoyed the contact.  
"You survived." She took her head from his shoulder and faced him; they were of the same height, so their gazes met squarely. She could see the pain and exhaustion in his gaze, but there was also relief. He grinned.  
"I did. I have removed the taint from my blood." He puffed up proudly like a peacock and she rolled her eyes, but as he swept forward and brought their lips together, she found her exasperation evaporated in the wake of simple enjoyment of the moment.

She would not say she had missed such things, but it was enjoyable to have him so close to hand once more.

When they broke apart, his hand found the side of her face, she absolutely did not lean into it… Much.  
"You survived too." He gave a crooked smile and she arched a brow.  
"Was there ever a doubt that I would? We are not all so incompetent as you." She teased and he laughed, pulling her in once more, she allowed it, sliding her arms around his neck to hold him in place.

They would stop when she was done with him, not before.

Alas, they had to pull apart for air eventually, though Sirius seemed intent upon retaining the contact and pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes still shut.  
"I missed you." It was a whisper, one they both knew she would not return, however, if this was one of those rare times they would say such things to one and other… Maybe she could say _something_.  
"I am glad you survived." She cast her eyes to the side, not wishing to meet his gaze, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw his bright smile, she felt him kiss the corner of her lips and she could not press back the tiny smile that threatened to tug at the corner of her mouth.

"Dinner will be ready soon." The moment having passed, he stepped back and moved to the fire, reaching to stir the soup with his left hand. Clearly his right side was too damaged to allow much free movement.  
"What happened?" She sat down beside the fire, pulling one of the other chairs toward her and gesturing for him to sit. Of course he knew what she meant and huffed out a sigh, pouting like a child.  
"Pride demon clipped me." He gestured to his ribs as he sat and she frowned, tugging on the edge of his shirt to tell him to take it off. He complied and revealed the bandages below. Clean, at least.

"Dare I ask what you were doing with a pride demon?" She began undoing his bandages to reveal the jagged edges of a barely healed claw wound beneath.  
"It had a lot to do with removing the taint from my blood." He winced as she took away the last of the wrappings and probed the edges of the scratches. There were four, evenly spaced. They didn't appear infected, but they were somewhat deep. No wonder he was still carrying them. She arched a brow, he got the message that she required an explanation.  
"I may have used blood magic to call forth a demon." He cast his gaze downward and she set her jaw with a stiff nod. Blood magic was fine, but consorting with demons? That required great care, and was generally inadvisable.  
"I persuaded it that if it would help me remove the taint from my blood, it could keep the power that came with such things. A fair trade, we agreed. However, once it was done, the demon was much too powerful, I had to kill it." He gave a faint smirk.  
"Damn thing clipped me during the fight, but it died, and the taint was destroyed with it. So I am free of it, and there isn't a Pride demon running around with the power of a grey warden anywhere. All's well that ends well." He chuckled weakly, and Morrigan shot him a dark look, finishing her examination of his wounds.  
"It was a foolish thing to do, if you hadn't been able to kill it…" She frowned and he ducked his head, not dissimilar to Kieran when she scolded him.  
"I took as many precautions as I could, but you are right, the risk was great." His tone was remorseful, he knew what a risk he had taken.

She sighed and began healing the idiot's injuries, he winced at first and she gentled her hand. She was not above kindness on occasion… Even if he was a moron.

"Kieran missed you." She opted to change the subject, done with her displeasure for now, today was a good day. Sirius chuckled.  
"I could tell. He's grown a lot." She could see his smile in her peripheral.  
"He has indeed…"

They continued to catch each other up on various topics subjects until Kieran returned from his bedroom.

She recalled a time when this particular cottage had held only herself and her mother, it had been a single room hut back then, but upon their return, Sirius had worked hard to add bedrooms into a second floor, more rooms downstairs and even a cellar to the place, securing the walls with stone and thatching a roof to make it into a rather comfortable cottage.

He was a good man, she supposed.

As she sat and ate with her family, she watched Sirius react to the many tales Kieran had for him and found herself repressing a wistful smile.

For once, there was no Archdemon, no war, no old god trying to doom the world. It was simply herself, Sirius and Kieran, alone in their little home in the wilds.

For once, she might consider herself at ease… Perhaps even content.

* * *

_** So that happened, hope you enjoyed :) **_

_**(also yes, I know I glossed over how the warden dealt with getting rid of the taint xD it wasn't the point of the fic so I didn't think it through too much.)**_


End file.
